This chapter has four sections. The first section offers a number of basic definitionsin rural criminology used in this book. In some cases, several definitionsare put forward instead of assuming a single definition. The case of “rural” providesan example of this approach. The second section is devoted to a number oftheories that provide the theoretical basis for the book. Each theory is introducedin a way that highlights its importance for rural studies, particularly on crime,perceived safety, and crime prevention. In the third section, the chapter takes apractical turn and focuses on the making of research on crime and safety in ruralareas. This section discusses issues of measurement and data quality that areused later in the book. Finally, in the fourth section Sweden is introduced asstudy area.